Hospital Based Practice

Hospital Based Practice

​​​In these settings, physicians work in practices or departments that are managed and owned either outright or partly by the hospital. Physicians serve as employees and are compensated by the hospital. Benefits of this arrangement include predictable income, a steady patient base, and the built-in referral network via the other hospital-based practices. Also, many physicians enjoy the setting’s camaraderie and its proximity to “the action.”

Heavy committee work is often expected of hospital-based physicians. Find out what those expectations are and how it would affect patient hours.

Potential downsides are the limited autonomy and the possibility that a decline in the hospital’s overall financial condition could affect the practice. And as hospital-system mergers continue to occur, physicians sometimes find themselves caught in the crossfire as the merging institutions attempt to meld long-established programs and cultures.​